Electric lamp installation



Dec 31,( 1957 M. ALDEN 2,818,497

l ELECTRIC LAMP INSTALLATION l Filed March 30, 1955 A 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll l INVENToR.

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.ELECTRIC LAMP INsTALLATloN yFiled March 30, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 M. ALDEN ELECTRIC LAMP INSTALLATION 5 sheets-sheet 's Filed March 30, 1955' y, INVENTOR I M' Zon Al 'BY ATTORNEY` mw. v -I -...-I ---A Dec. 31, 1957 Filed March 30, 1955 M. ALDEN ELECTRIC LAMP INSTALLATION 5 ShetS-Sheet 4 INVENToR.

United States Patent O ELECTRIC LAMP INSTALLATION Milton Alden, Wellesley, Mass.

Application March 30, 1955, Serial No. 498,070

Claims. (Cl. 24U-9) Although the desirability and benefits of having proper lighting of working surfaces in offices and factories at a generally high level of illumination has long been recognized, it is often impossible to obtain adequate lighting, particularly -in old or converted buildings, without the expense and confusion of rewiring and replacing of the fixtures by professional electricians.

Accordingly, the objects of this invention are to provide a lighting installation which supplies adequate illumination, which can be installed with a minimum, if any, of wiring changes, which is flexible and adapted to a variety of different sizes and shapes of rooms, which can be removed or converted to accommodate changing working conditions, which is particularly adapted for use with elongated or tubular lamps, which can be installed quickly and easily by relatively unskilled persons, which -is attractive in appearance, and which advances the art generally.

According to the present invention, the lamp installation comprises a plurality of hollow housings preferably fabricated of sheet metal and provided with means for suspension from a ceiling or other supporting surface. The first of the housings forms a header or cap which is connected with the building power supply either by means of a permanent connection with the building wiring system or by an extension cord or flexible lead having a plug connector for engaging a wall outlet. A lamp housing which is in aligned abutment with the header housing is provided with spaced sockets for engaging the pins or other terminals of one or more tubular lamps. The housings are electrically intercoupled by connectors which mate as the housings are slid into abutting relationship. Additional lamp housings can be aligned with the rst lamp housing and interconnected therewith in a similar manner to form a string or line of lamps of any required length.

These and other objects and aspects of my invention will be apparent from the following description of a specic embodiment of my invention which refers to drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation View of an installation according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the installation;

'Fig 3 is a sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view with portions broken away of a 'header for connecting the installation to a power sup- Ply;

Fig. 5 is an end View of the header with portions broken away;

Fig. 6 isa side View of the header with portions broken away;

Fig. 7 is a bottom View of a lamp housing with portions broken away; y

Fig. 8 is a side view of the lamp housing with portions broken away;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the lamp housing with portions broken away;

ice

Figs. 10 and 11 are fragmentary side and bottom views, respectively, showing the details of the interconnection of the header and rst lamp housing;

Figs. 12 and 13 are fragmentary side and bottom views, respectively, showing the details of the interconnection of two adjacent lamp housings; and

Fig. 14 is an isometric view of the lingers for interconnecting the housings.

The present invention contemplates a lighting installation consisting of a plurality of pre-wired standard housing units which can be installed in any desired linear configuration without requiring any separate interconnecting wiring or the skilled services of an electrician. To this end a hollow sheet metal housing such as the header or cap 20 (Fig. 1) is secured to the ceiling 22 or other supporting surface by screws 2S (Fig. 11) as described hereinafter. The cap 20 is connected to a standard electrical power supply (not shown) either by means of a flexible two-conductor lead 24 having a male plug 26 on the end thereof for engaging a standard wall outlet or in permanent installations by means of an armored conduit which is tied into the wiring system of the building in any conventional manner by an electrician.

As is shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the cap 20 is provided with a female connector 28 whose terminals 30 are soldered to the ends of the respective conductors of the flexible lead 24.

Projecting outwardly from one end of the cap 20 are four spaced fingers 32 and 34 whose function is to engage the end of an adjacent housing 36 (Fig. 1) carrying two tubular lamps L which are preferably of the Quick Start fluorescent type. As the ends of the cap 20 and the lamp housing 36 are being brought into abutting relationship the pins of a male plug 3S (Fig. l1) on the lamp housing 36 engage the recesses of the female plug 28 of the cap to complete an electrical connection therebetween whereby power is supplied to the lamps L. After being brought into position, the lamp housing 36 is also secured to the ceiling 22 by screws 25.

The opposite end of the lamp housing 36 is provided with a female connector 40 (Fig. 13) which is similar to the connector 28 in the cap 20 so that a second lamp holder 36 can be connected to the first lamp' holder mentioned above. In this manner an aligned string of any desired number of lamps L can be assembled, the total number being limited only by the permissive electrical load upon the power supply. Other additional lines of lamps L, if necessary for proper illumination, are arranged similarly parallel to the above line and spaced with respect thereto, each additional line being provided with its own cap 20 and separate connection to the power supply. j

The assembly of sheet metal components forming the cap 20 is shown in Figs. 4-6 and includes a shallow channel-shaped mounting member 42 which is provided with slotted key-hole apertures 44 for the mounting screwsv 25. The horizontal flange 46 of an end plate 48 is spot welded to one end of the web of the mounting plate 42 so that the plates are normally disposed with respect to one another. As can best be seen in Fig. 5, the end plate 48 is in the shape of an irregular hexagon, five edges of which conform to the ve sides of a cover plate 50. The cover plate is secured in position with its parallel sides inserted with the flanges of the channel member 42 by spot welding to the opposed vertical flanges 52 of the end plate 48. The above mentioned lingers 32 and 34 are formed integrally with the cover plate 50 at the obtuse angles thereof so as to extend beyond the end plate 43. The outermost fingers 32 are provided with inwardly extending embossments 54 which acts as detents or stops as will be described in detail below.

aslsftsv One edge of the end plate 4S is slotted to provide access to the connector 2S which is secured to the cover plate 50 by a screw 56. The opposite end of the cap 20 is closed by means of a secon-d end plate 5S which is generally similar in shape to the rst end plate 48, but is made removable so that the end of the ilexible lead 24 can be brought in through one of the circular apertures in the cap 20 and soldered to the connector terminals 30. The removable end plate 58 is secured by two cap screws 60 which pass through apertures in the opposite parallel sides of the cover plate 50 to engage respective nuts 62 welded to the vertical anges of the end plate.

As is shown in Fig. 9, the sectional conguration of the lamp housing 36 is the same hexagonal shape as that of the cap 20, the housing comprising a channel-shaped member 64 over which slides a live-sided cover member 66. The sides of the members 64 and 66 are kept in engagement to form an elongated body by means of two Z-shaped strips 68 one flange of each of which is spot welded to the web of the channel member. The other ange of each Z-shaped member has a nut welded to the bottom side thereof for engaging the shank of a respective screw 67 which projects through an aperture in lthe cover member 66. Telescoping within each end of the cover member 66 is socket supporting member 71 whose outer end is closed by an end plate 70 (Fig. 8) which is welded therein. The member 7l, which is secured to the channel member 64 by screws 69, is slotted t-o receive the bases of two conventional sockets 72 for receiving the pins of tubular lamps L, the sockets being held in place by screws 74.

Attached to the socket supporting member 7l at the left hand end of the lamp housing 36 by a screw 76 is the male connector 33 (Fig. l) whose pins engage the female connector 28 of the carp 2i) as has been described in detail heretofore. The connector 33 is electrically interconnected by means of insulated conductors (not shown) with the sockets 72 and a conventional ballast B so that the lamps L are energized by power supplied through the lead 24 and the connectors 28 and 3S when the lamp housing 36 is in abutting relationship to the cap 20. To insure that the lamp housing 36 is at the same ground potential as the cap 20 a grounding strap consisting of a bifurcated spring strip 7S is secured beneath the lead of the screw 76 so that the tines of the strip engage the surface of the cover member 5d of the cap 20 to make a good electrical contact therewith.

The male electrical connector 3S of the lamp housing 36 is also directly connected with the contacts of female electrical connector 40 which is secured to the right hand socket supporting member 68 in a similar manner by a screw 77 so that electrical connection can be made with the following lamp housing which is identical with the housing 36 described in detail above. To facilitate the interconnection of the tirst lamp housing 36 with the second succeeding lan-lip housing, a guide member 80 (Figs. 12 and 13) is secured to the right hand end of the lamp housing 36 by screws "74 which also serve to attach the lamp sockets 72 tcthe socket supporting members 71. As is best shown in Fig. 14, the guide member 80 is provided with two inner ngers 34', and two outer fingers 32 having embossments 54' which are similar to and serve the same functions as the fingers 32 and 34 and the embossments 54 of the cap 20.

I have found that an extensive lighting installation using the above described lamp housings can be installed during one evening by two men, thereby minimizing the confusion and interference with the regular shop work, by observing the following procedure. From a lighting plan the positions of the caps Ztl for the required number of strips of lights are first determined and then by means of a template and extension drills and screw drivers the cap screws 25 for the caps 2@ and lamp housings 36 are partially inserted in the ceiling or other supporting surface. The heads of the screws 25 are inserted in the large ends of the keyhole-shaped slots 44 in each of the caps 20 and 4 i the cap moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 4 with the Shanks of the screws engaging the narrow portion of the slots wherein the screw heads are aligned with the circular screw dri er apertures 44' so that the screws can be tightened to secure the cap 20. The lamp housing 36 adjacent the cap 20 is installed by resting the end of the housing upon the ends of the cap fingers 32 and 34 which act as guides while the end of the housing is slid against the embossments 54. In this position the large ends of the housing keyhole slots 44 are aligned with the heads of the screws 25 previously located by means of the template so that the screws enter the slots as the housing is raised against the ceiling. The housing 36 is then moved horizontally past the embossments 54 to bring the pins of the connector 38 into engagement with the cap conhector Ztl. Simultaneously, the Shanks of the screws 25 engage the narrow portion of the slots 44 so that the screw heads are adjacent the screw driver apertures 44 where they can be tightened to secure the housing in position.

lt will be apparent that with changing working conditions requiring different arrangements of the machines or partitions, the lamp housings 36 can be removed and, if necessary, the positions of the caps 20 changed so that the line of lamps L may be in the most advantageous position. Because of their ready interchangeability, the caps 29 and housings 36 can be stored as a stock item which can be withdrawn or returned to storage as the need arises.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tubular electric lamp installation ycomprising a plurality of sheet metal housings, the rst of which includes circuit means for connecting with an electrical power supply, the remaining housings having socket means for engaging the ends of tubular electric lamps, electrical `connectors interconnecting with the socket means and located at the ends of the housings and engaging the mating connectors upon adjacent housings thereby to energize the lam-ps from the power supply, means for suspending the housings from a supporting surface, and aligning means including a plurality of laterally spaced ngers extending from one end of each housing and engaging the opposite end of the adjacent housing thereby to align and support the housings.

2. A tubular electric Ilamp installation comprising a plurality of sheet metal housings each including a channel-shaped member having means for suspension from a supporting surface and a cover member having parallel sides attached to the flanges of the channel member, a bottom portion normally disposed with respect to the parallel sides and two declivous portions interconnecting the sides and bottom portion, the rst of the housings including circuit means for connecting with an electrical power supply, the remaining housings having sockets extending from their cover members to engage the ends of tubular electric lamps, electrical connectors interconnected with the sockets and located at the ends of the housings and engaging the mating connectors upon adjacent housings thereby to energize the lamps from the power supply, and aligning means including four ngers extending from the end of each housing, said lingers being located at the junctions of the cover member declivous portions with the bottom portion and sides thereof respectively and engaging the opposite end of the adjacent housing thereby to align and support the housings.

3. A tubular electric llamp installation comprising a plurality of sheet metal housings each including a channel-shaped member having means for suspension from a supporting surface and a cover member having parallel sides attached to the anges of the channel member, a bottom portion normally disposed with respect to the parallel sides and two declivous portions interconnecting the sides and bottom portion, the trst of the housings including circuit means for connecting with an electrical power supply, the remaining housings having sockets extending from their cover members to engage the ends of tubular electric lamps, electrical connectors interconnected with the sockets and located at the ends of the housings and engaging the mating connectors upon adjacent housings thereby to energize the lamps from the power supply, and aligning means including a set of four lingers extending from the end of the first housing and a guide member having a similar set of fingers secured to one end of each of the remaining housings, said sets of lingers being located at the junctions of the cover member declivous portions with the bottom portion and sides thereof respectively and engaging the opposite end of the adjacent housing thereby to align and support the housings.

4. A tubular electric lamp installation comprising a plurality of sheet metal housings each including a channel-shaped member having means including key hole shaped slots and associated headed fasteners engaging the narrow portion of said slots for suspension of the housings from a supporting surface and a cover member having parallel sides attached to the anges of the channel member, a bottom portion normally disposed with respect to the parallel sides and two declivous portions interconnecting the sides and bottom portion, the lirst of the housings including circuit means for connecting with an electrical power supply, the remaining housings having sockets extending from their cover members to engage the ends of tubular lamps, electrical connectors interconnected with the sockets and located at the ends of the housings and engaging the mating connectors upon adjacent housings thereby t-o energize the lamps from the power supply, aligning means including four fingers extending from the end of each housing, said lingers being located at the junctions of the cover member declivous portions with the bottom portion and sides thereof respectively and engaging the opposite end of the adjacent housing thereby to align and support the housings and detent means associated with said lingers for restraining the end of the adjacent housing when the enlarged ends of its key hole slots are adjacent the associated fasteners.

5. A tubular electric lamp installation comprising a plurality of sheet metal housings each including a channel-shaped member having suspending means including key hole shaped slots and associated headed fasteners secured to an adjacent supporting surface and engaging the narrow portion of the key hole slots when the housings are in abutting relationship, each of said housings having a fcover member with parallel sides attached to the anges of the channel member, a bottom portion normally disposed with respect to the parallel sides and two declivous portions interconnecting the sides and bottom portion, the lirst of the housings including circuit means for connecting with an electrical power supply, the remaining housings having sockets extending from their cover members to engage the ends of tubular electric lamps, electrical connectors interconnected with the sockets and located at the ends of the housings and engaging the mating connectors upon adjacent housings thereby to energize the lamps from the power supply, aligning means including four lingers extending from the end of each housing, said lingers being located at the junctions of the cover member declivous portions with the botto-m portion and sides respectively and engaging the opposite end of the adjacent housing thereby to align and support the housings and protuberances projecting from the outermost fingers to restrain the end of the adjacent housing when the enlarged ends of its key hole slots are adjacent the associated fasteners.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,941 Curtis July 7, 1942 2,316,404 Carter Apr. 13, 1943 2,408,783 Kloner Oct. 8, 1946 2,434,781 Kurtzon Jan. 20, 1948 2,569,518 Deutsch et al. Oct. 2, 1951 2,708,711 McGinty et al. May 17, 1955 

